Laserfiche WebLink
City Council Finance Committee <br />Meeting Minutes <br />05/19/20 <br />Page 4 of 7 <br />Chairperson Maloney stated his support for a mix of budget cuts and use of fund <br />reserves. Member Lipton agreed, but stated some level of reserves should be held <br />in case they are needed in 2021. <br />Finance Committee Member Lipton stated the building of fund reserves, higher <br />than necessary, are intended for situations such as this. Member Lipton stated <br />that a proportional amount of reserves should be used from all funds, but that <br />painful expense reductions are also necessary. Member Lipton stated the <br />reductions for 2020 need to be much deeper because there are only six months <br />left in the year in which cuts may be made. Finance Committee Member Lipton <br />stated managers should reach out to staff to discuss what specific funding/service <br />cuts may look like, to identify integral functions, and communicate those findings <br />to Finance Committee and City Council. Member Lipton also stated that planned <br />fund balance transfers for the next two years should be reviewed to determine if <br />they still make sense, given certain facility closures and the reduction in services. <br />Chairperson Maloney stated the Recreation Center Debt Service Fund should be <br />monitored to ensure payments may be made should property tax decline in 2022. <br />Finance Director Watson stated that department CIP requests have already been <br />submitted for 2021-2022 budget process, but asked the Finance Committee if they <br />would like to provide parameters for departments to use in submitting their 2021- <br />2022 operational budgets, and further if the Committee has general capital <br />priorities for 2021-2026. City Manager Balser asked the Committee Members if <br />they wished to discuss acceptable operation levels, or have specific direction for <br />certain City operations. <br />Finance Committee Chairperson Maloney and Finance Committee Member Lipton <br />encouraged staff to use the Finance Committee Members for a "value add" review <br />and prioritization of the CMO recommendations. The Committee and staff <br />discussed scheduling a special work session for this purpose, and to ensure the <br />recommended 2020 budget cuts and budget amendment is ready for the full <br />Council. Finance Committee Members expressed the urgency in addressing the <br />2020 budget cuts sooner rather than later. <br />Finance Committee Member Lipton stated economic recovery and the Economic <br />Vitality budget should be a priority as well as rebuilding fund balances. City <br />Manager Balser agreed, stating recovery through ongoing business support has <br />been identified as a key issue. <br />The Finance Committee stated that the City Manager and staff should make <br />recommendations. City Manager Balser stated she would meet with department <br />staff and prepare recommendations based on the principals outlined in time for a <br />late June Finance Committee Meeting. <br />5 <br />